Bastos Press Conference

Newly acquired Michel Bastos spoke today for the first time since making his move from UAE based club Al-Ain to the capital. The Brazilian is expected to be on the bench for the Giallorossi’s match on Sunday in Verona.

Watching Roma at the stadium on Tuesday, what was your impression of the team and the fans in particular?“I thought the fans were amazing. They live for football here and that’s something we Brazilians love. Plus we won!”

Your position and role in the team?
“My position? I can play full-back, in midfield or attack. I want to play football and win with this team. I’m here to help my new team. I do not know where I’ll play: the decision will be up to the manager.”

Garcia helped your decision?
“I always maintained contact with Garcia even when I moved from Lille, he was an important person who helped me. The presence of Garcia influenced my choice. I’m not saying that Napoli isn’t, I made a choice and I opted for this solution. I made the best choice. I arrived to a large group, the goal of any player is to play for a great team in Europe and in a big league.”

When will you return to the pitch?
“I’m working hard to get fully fit again as soon as possible. I think it will take another 10 days or so.”

Are you here to stay in the future?
“Absolutely, my goal is to stay for a few years. It’s true that I am here on loan, but I’m working as if I don’t have to leave in six months. I am trying to settle down in view of the coming years. This is my will and I hope to make it happen.”

You played with Pjanic at Lyon. Did you think he could become such an important player?
“I played with him for two years, he always showed great quality. At that time he was a little younger, so he had less experience and not the continuity that he has here in Rome. He is a very young player with room for improvement, you hear rumors but I can say my hope is that he remains here.”

Do you want to add anything on what happened with the scarf?
“As I’ve said on Twitter, it was a misunderstanding. It’s important to have respect for your opponents, I know some people got angry, I take this chance to apologize again. It was not my intention to offend anyone, that was a moment to get in touch with the fans. Agaion, I am sorry, it was not supposed to happen that way. Now it is better to forget and turn the page, I didn’t notice the words, I did not know what was written, if I knew it I would not have done it.”

You now have a feeling about the Derby?
“I had an idea about it. It’s a derby that matters greatly to both teams. I know that there is the possibility of playing three derbies in a week, I know what to expect and what the team expects. I have to focus on my work and help the team, what happens off the pitch is part of the game, I am prepared for all of it, there won’t be any problems.”

Italo Zanzi has then been asked questions, here are his responses:

How was the win over Juve approached? Do you prefer Napoli or Lazio?
“It was a great win for us and the fans. For us it’s great to be able to get a similar result but it is not a surprise. We had confidence and we’ll have it even more in the future. For us, the most important thing is winning, we can not choose who we’ll face. We are prepared for both, any match-up will be exciting, it’s good for the fans, for the Coppa Italia, and the Italian football.”

A comment on the potential Chinese investors?
“That’s a matter for our owner, we work together every day. Many people are interested in being part of Roma, but here we work to win.”

Are Roma finished with the transfer market?
“The market closes on January 31 , we’ll continue to evaluate things. We have confidence in our sporting director and in the team.”

The Editor of RomaPress.us, John has been covering Italian football as a freelance journalist for over 10 years and has appeared in various publications including ASRoma.com, EuroFantasyLeague.com, and ESPN.